Opera 12.10 beta released for desktop download

The next iteration of the web browser known as Opera has been released in beta form for download by the masses, that being Opera 12.10 for the desktop environment on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. This version of the software works with APIs for Context Menus, Screenshots, and Resources Loaders, and paves the way for operating system updates for both Mac and Windows this Fall. The Windows 8 iteration will have touch support while the Mountain Lion version will be working with Notification Center, built-in sharing with social networks, and Retina display support.

This 12.10 beta release of Opera works with web standard support for items such as Fullscreen operation, Page Visibility, and the latest Web Sockets implementation. This Web Sockets implementation is enabled by default, just so you're aware. With Resource Loader API support you can load the CSS or JavaScript included in an Opera extension file on command for both design and functionality inside webpages.

With your Screenshot API you've got the ability to integrate said functionality into your extension, this allowing users to share their experiences easily with one another and with developers when they run into trouble. With Context Menu APIs you'll have the ability to work with Opera's own context menu - that one you might know as the right-click menu - this allowing extensions to make use of highlighted text in many different ways.

This update also includes the SPDY network standard - this acts as a supplement for the HTTP protocol for faster downloading of webpages on the whole. The SPDY standard is used by Twitter, Gmail, and a collection of other big-name webpages in addition to HTTP to keep the web running quick. Krystian Kolondra, SVP Desktop, Opera Software, spoke about the release:

"During the planning of Opera 12.10 we listened to the web developers. The web developer community is thriving like never before and we want to support that in every way we can. With the new APIs, developers are better suited than ever to create extensions that give users of Opera for desktop a unique browsing experience." - Kolondra

You can check out the download of Opera's next big beta at Opera Next. This beta is not the final version of the software - hence the "beta" marker, and should be treated as such.